“The Big East is not what it used to be,” said Boeheim, the Orange’s head basketball coach, following the U.S. club’s 80-69 exhibition victory over Brazil on Monday night. “I think the ACC is a tremendous league and it’s a tremendous opportunity for us.

“To stay in one time zone and play in a great conference — a great all-around conference, but, specifically, a great basketball conference — is a great thing.”

Boeheim was speaking from the Verizon Center in Washington, and was only hours away from boarding a flight to Manchester, England, where the U.S. Olympic team will play another exhibition, this time against Great Britain, on Thursday. And he sounded satisfied.

“This was coming,” Boeheim said of the announcement of SU’s jump to the ACC. “We knew it was coming. But it’s good to get it done. We didn’t want to wait another two years. One year is doable. I’m glad things worked out the way they have.

“It is what it is. We’ll focus completely on the Big East this year, just like we did last year. We’ll try to play the best we can and we’ll let future take care of itself.’

Asked if he’d discussed the matter with Mike Krzyzewski, the head Olympic coach whose celebrated Duke program bodes to become one of the Orange’s major rivals in the coming years, Boeheim said no.

“We haven’t talked about it,” he said. “We’re focused on trying to win a gold medal.”

Below: Jim Boeheim talks to the New Haven Register about Syracuse leaving the Big East and the end of SU's league rivalry with Connecticut: